Reducing the energy consumption of an oven

Abstract

The present invention relates to an oven ( 1 ) comprising an exterior body ( 2 ), a cooking cavity ( 3 ) wherein the cooking process is realized, a heater ( 4 ) provides the foodstuff placed into the cooking cavity ( 3 ) to be cooked, a cooling fan ( 5 ) arranged between the exterior body ( 2 ) and the cooking cavity ( 3 ), that provides air circulation around the cooking cavity ( 3 ) and a control unit ( 6 ) that provides a cooking process composed of at least three phases, that is the first phase, second phase and third phase to be performed from the start to the end of the cooking.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An oven ( 1 ) comprising an exterior body ( 2 ), a cooking cavity ( 3 ) wherein a cooking process is performed, a heater ( 4 ) that provides foodstuffs placed into the cooking cavity ( 3 ) to be cooked, a cooling fan ( 5 ) arranged between the exterior body ( 2 ) and the cooking cavity ( 3 ), that provides air circulation around the cooking cavity ( 3 ), and a control unit ( 6 ) configured to perform the cooking process in at least three phases from a start to end of the cooking process, the three phases including a first phase having a first phase duration (t 1 ), a second phase a second phase duration (t 2 ) and a third phase a third phase duration (t 3 ), wherein a first predetermined temperature (T 1 ) is defined by a user at the start of cooking process for the first phase duration (t 1 ), a second predetermined temperature (T 2 ) is defined by the user for the second phase duration (t 2 ) such that the second predetermined temperature (T 2 ) is lower than the first predetermined temperature (T 1 ), and a third predetermined temperature (T 3 ) is defined by the user for the third phase duration (t 3 ) such that the third temperature (T 3 ) is higher than the first predetermined temperature (T 1 ) and the second predetermined temperature (T 2 ), wherein the control unit is further configured to delay an activation of the cooling fan ( 5 ) until an end of the first phase, and to activate the cooling fan in the second phase. 
     
     
       2. The oven as in  claim 1 , wherein the oven control unit ( 6 ) is configured to activate the cooling fan when the second phase begins. 
     
     
       3. The oven ( 1 ) as in  claim 1 , further comprising a temperature probe ( 7 ) used for measuring the inner temperature of a food being cooked in the cooking cavity ( 3 ) and wherein the control unit is configured to activate the cooling fan ( 5 ) when temperature change rate obtained from data received from the temperature probe ( 7 ) reaches a limit temperature change rate. 
     
     
       4. The oven ( 1 ) as in  claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to activate the cooling fan ( 5 ) when a temperature of the cooking cavity ( 3 ) measured when the second phase begins reaches a critical temperature value.